The Best of Brisbane Festival Events 2023

It's officially our favourite time of year because the Brisbane Festival is back! The Brisbane Festival emerged from the Warana Festival in 1961 which placed beauty pageants, a drama festival and various other culture and entertainment events on the calendar. Fast-forward to 1996, and the beginnings of what we now know as the Brisbane Festival were present. Now, the festival sees a celebration of the lifestyle, persona and energy of our river city, with an enormous calendar of performance, art and cultural events.

From light shows and renowned artist performances to incredible installations to immerse yourself in, this is the best time of year to explore the growing pace of Brisbane’s arts and cultural scene.

With South Brisbane and the CBD seeing most of the action for the river city’s annual festival, we invite you to scroll through our guide to the best events happening across the month.

Lightscape

Invite a sense of wonder into your life this month with the arrival of Lightscape, a two-kilometre, self-guided trail. You’ll wander under glowing tree canopies filled with colour and through sparkling tunnels of light as you follow the path. Pore over neon roots bursting from the undergrowth of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens as this immersive installation is brought to life in a warm-up for the Brisbane Festival. With sessions running every 15 minutes, we recommend allowing yourself a leisurely 90 minutes to stroll through the experience, so you’ll have plenty of time to be mesmerised… and to get your Instagram moments, of course.

From $28 per person

Thursday 31 August to Sunday 8 October | 5.45pm until late

Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Brisbane City

Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust

Brisbane Festival wouldn’t be complete without the annual Riverfire headliner event, but this year we see it mark the opening of the Festival, rather than act as a finale. This fireworks extravaganza can be enjoyed from multiple viewpoints around the city, but if you score a front-row spot along the Brisbane River, you’ll get to experience an integrated large-scale First Nations-led visual performance that celebrates the beauty, creativity and wisdom of Australia’s Indigenous culture. Riverfire gets bigger and better every year, so make 2023 your moment to enjoy the awe-inspiring display of light and colour.

Free admission

Saturday, 2 September | TBC

Brisbane River and surrounds

The Party

From the quirky and creative team behind The Purple Rabbit, Limbo and Blanc De Blanc comes an irreverent new hit for the Brisbane Festival 2023 program. The Party features talented circus artists, great music, extravagant costumes and energy like you’ve never seen before at the South Bank Piazza. A lavish stage has been set for the social climbers, the gate crashers and the rich kids because this Party is about to get wild.

Book yourself a seat close to the action (if you dare) and make sure you arrive in plenty of time to make yourself comfortable and get a couple of drinks from the bar under your belt before the evening of debauchery begins.

From $55 per person

Friday 1 September to Saturday 23 September

410 Stanley Street, South Brisbane

Salamander

“An emergency, the colour red. Time to go, time to wake up. Time to stand up and hold each other before it is too late.” An enthralling world premiere from two artistic visionaries, Maxine Doyle and Es Devlin, lands in Brisbane on September first and is set to be one of the highlights of the Brisbane Festival. A warehouse at Brisbane’s Northshore will be transformed into a completely immersive, climate-fiction, dreamlike world through the use of light, sound, design and movement. Local favourites from the Australasian Dance Collective will collaborate with an ensemble of international and local dancers to bring Salamander, this emotive and moving performance, to life.

From $74 per person

Friday 1 September to Sunday 24 September

Paul Kelly - Time

Everyone’s favourite Australian troubadour, Paul Kelly, takes to the stage at the Princess Theatre this year as part of the 2023 Brisbane Festival. Taking the audience on a journey through his 2022 compilation TIME in Brisbane’s oldest standing theatre, it’s set to be a night to remember. Kelly has released a series of themed compilations over the last two years, with TIME being the first. He has a way of digging into what it means, and how it feels, to be Australian and has a unique way of communicating the way our country looks, tastes and sounds. We recommend scoring tickets to this intimate experience quickly, as they’re sure to sell out fast.

From $93 per person

Wednesday 6 & Thursday 7 September | 7pm

The Princess Theatre, 8 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba

Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas!

Who needs glass slippers when you have wheels of steel? The team that brought Fourteen to the 2022 Brisbane Festival calendar have a brand new smash hit on their hand with tragi-drama Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas! Based on a true story, this tale follows Tae Tae on a confronting yet honest journey from a heartbreaking loss to a life full of love, success and adventure. Featuring Maxi Shield (of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame), Tae Tas in the Land of Yaaas! Is a magical, camp and glittery fairytale that comes straight from the heart.

From $55 per person

Friday, 25 August to Sunday, 17 September | Various times

Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Corner Grey and Melbourne Streets, South Brisbane

Busby Marou

Well on their way to becoming a national treasure, Busby Marou is a musical duo comprised of Queenslander Tom Busby and Torres Strait Islander Jeremy Marou. Since meeting in a pub in Rockhampton and discovering a mutual passion and understanding for music and how they want to make it, Busby Marou has been taking the Australian music scene by storm. Bringing their incredible stage presence and brand new tracks from their fifth studio album “Blood Red” to the Brisbane Festival, this performance at the gorgeous heritage-listed Princess Theatre will be a night to remember.

From $59 per person

Saturday 9 September | 7:30pm

The Princess Theatre, 8 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba

Gretta Ray - The Big Pop Show

Pop favourite Gretta Ray announced the release of her sophomore album Positive Spin on the 18th of August, and what perfect timing to gear up for her ‘Big Pop Show’ tour with Brisbane Festival in full swing! Her latest album is packed with positivity and rose-tinted optimism, as Ray reflects on her emotions and explores them through the therapeutic process of songwriting. And where better to be captivated by her joy and magical stage presence than The Princess Theatre? Gretta Ray’s Big Pop Show is one of the Brisbane Festival events we’re looking forward to the most, so we recommend dropping the event link in your group chats ASAP to secure tickets before they sell out.

From $50 per person

Friday 15 September | 9pm

The Princess Theatre, 8 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba

With some of the Festival’s installations beginning in August, the program will be in full swing from September 1st, and we recommend booking tickets now to prevent any disappointment, as events will sell out fast! If you’re looking for more of Brisbane’s best events, scroll through our Event Guide to discover what else is happening across the city.

If you’re looking for more free things to do in Brisbane, we’ve found 15 fun ways to enjoy the city without spending a dime.